Oakland Cedes Temporary Control Over Police

By

Bobby White

Dec. 6, 2012 7:29 p.m. ET

OAKLAND, Calif.—The city of Oakland has agreed to hand over temporary control of its police department to a court-appointed compliance director, under a proposed settlement to a long-running civil-rights case.

The settlement would make it more likely the 650-person department would avoid becoming the first police agency in the U.S. to enter federal receivership. A receiver would take full command of the city budget to make...